Well that title sure sounds pretty exciting so even though it is most likely not, I am going to get a little excited about it.

I’m not quite sure how this has happened but apparently YoungMoneyChina.com is the 34th most popular growing WordPress blog.

I got a nice surprise today when I found out that YMC has somehow made it into the top 100 list. Don’t really know what that means but no one sent me a cheque and I’m still in China so I guess I didn’t win a holiday. Anyway, quite cool all the same, thanks to all you guys for returning to me on your coffee breaks to see what i have been up to. I really appreciate all your support and as a little treat here are some random photos from the last few months in China.

A Lost World: While looking for hidden little gems in respect of factories and suppliers I often come across hidden little snapshots of times gone by. Like this disused tennis court at a once 5 star Hotel. Slowly as the global recession starts to get its claws into the Chinese economy the cracks begin to show.

Working lunch: Picture the scene – MSN, Skype. Whatsapp, Emails and Instant noodles. If your a customer of mine chatting to me at 4 am then this is my world.

Big Pimpin: Don’t let anyone tell you things here are cheap. This is a bottle of 2500 GBP Brandy in my local supermarket. China is predominantly business orientated meaning that everywhere you go there are shops littered with goods aimed at closing business deals the Chinese way.

1 CBM: Its a pretty common sight to see people scouring the streets here for empty drinks cans. Its not difficult to find them either, as the sheer mass of people here coupled with there dislike of using bins means there all over the place. I was shocked to learn that this package of 1 Cubic Meter is a collection made daily by a local man whose sole income comes from recycling cans.

Counterfeit Coffee: My daily morning pick-me-up became a victim of fraud last week as I sleepily wondered into what I assumed was a Starbucks only to be served a cup of “One Dollar Coffee”. Take a second glance at them cups. Signage, Uniforms and Decor all the same, Coffee was foul.

House Specials: You have to laugh when you come across a menu like this. In a app-laudable effort to keep foreign visitors from feeling homesick this bar can make you any of your favorite cocktails from back home, they just don’t know what it is!

Fresh Fish: Ok, a lot of blogs I read before I came here warned me about food poisoning and had some real horror stories. The truth is you have to be really careful here, I have been sick a couple of times now and I guess it must me something to do with the quality of the meat. So many times I have been in a restaurant with a Chinese person and asked them out of interest what they are eating, I swear some of the times they just don’t know what meat it is or what fish it is – they don’t seem to fussed ether. Kinda scary for fragile stomached westerners like us. The meat market is just something I cant handle, I mean what on earth is that fish at the bottom?

Recession?: One thing you notice here is that there is a lot of staff, everywhere. It kind of makes no sense how many there are. My local supermarket here always has 4 staff serving at each till, over 30 checkouts. That’s 90 more staff than they need surely?

I have no idea what Slimy Doom is but I definitely don’t want it.

Beach combing: While wondering down the Chinese coastline one day i came across this cool tree house made using the same techniques the Chinese still use to erect Bamboo scaffolding to this day.

Bamboo Mountain Bike: On the subject of Bamboo here is a really cool looking bamboo framed bicycle that I spotted in a shopping mall. Needless to say its branded as a fake Lamborghini Bike but then hey – This Is China.

Spotted: A lot of the recreational areas here in China have large gym style play-park equipment which a lot of middle aged and elderly locals use throughout the day to keep fit. These are really popular here and are in constant use this is at about 6.30am on my way back from a run. This guy does not seem to appreciate me trying to share a pic of it though.

Fully loaded: These tricycle bikes are very popular for delivery drivers and street workers to use. Often electric powered they can be seen hauling huge amounts of gear along the roads, more than once I’ve actually had stock delivered on one.

Street pet shop: Always wanted a really cute little puppy? Not a problem in China as an array of puppy street vendors nestle themselves between the counterfeit bags and fresh coconut milk stands. Around 10 pounds gets you one of these little fellas. Saddens me to think of the cruelty.

A Room With a View: As someone who has been traveling all over the world for a good few years now sourcing products, visiting trade shows and promoting my products at exhibitions I’m used to living inside hotels from time to time. From weeks in a Travel Lodge off Canary Wharf, while exhibiting at the London Excel Arena to dodgy youth hostels in Budapest, Hungary while sourcing new product markets I have seen a lot of hotels. Not many mornings have I drawn the curtains to a view like this though.

I’m an Alien: Just when I thought I was starting to fit in here, a little reminder that I’m a long way from home. Funnily enough sometimes it really does feel like a different planet here and I do very much feel like an “Alien”.

Thanks again guys, hope you can keep stopping by.

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About youngmoneychina

Daniel Cassidy, Male, 28, Half English, Half Malaysian, Half machine. Moved to China to live my dream and set up an export company from scratch.
Here is my blog documenting the life of a serial importer looking to go to the "next level" by moving to China.

Great blog dan. Very interesting and informative. I’m glad I come across your blog, been thinking about importing from China for quite a while but haven’t taken the plunge yet. The more I read your blog, the nearer I’m getting to finally making that trip to China.

Thanks for saying so. A few months before I moved here I started following a blog about a guy in the states who left his day job and set up his own online orientated business. Really inspired me to take the leap of faith that I needed to. Here is hoping I will inspire a few people in turn.

Hey well done fella. Not surprised though, love the blog, very informative and a great read. Just had a catch up now whilst camping in sussex on a bank holiday monday in the wind and rain !! Very different to 2 weeks ago in china in the heat and humidity.
Planning my trip in October now so will definately meet up as would be really good to chat

I listen to BBC radio 1 online and all the mentioning of the bank holiday at the weekend made me majorly home sick, funny how you really miss little things like a quiet beer with your mates in a beer garden on a bank holiday or popping in to see the folks for Sunday dinner. Maybe i wouldn’t feel so bad if i could find somewhere that sold tea bags!

Miss English food so bad now, made worse by the fact that mums cooking is so good. I quite enjoy writing the blog now, wish i had some more free time to write more articles as you can imagine there are a lot of stories to tell.

Really Inspiring Blog, im 24 and run a successful Car dismantling business in the uk. Ive been running this since i was 19. We stock a range of new parts also and sell a lot on ebay, mainly online / phone sales, we are a modern day specialist dismantler, all our business takes place in our 12000 sq ft warehouse. All our new parts are sourced in reasonable bulk (stock around 100 of each new part) but from UK suppliers. There are certain parts that i can’t find wholesale in the UK but see for sale on ebay. I have contacted some suppliers on alibaba and was planning a trip to meet a range of suppliers and decide on making an order, i would really appreciate your advice, the information in the blog has proved invaluable so far.

Sounds like you have a great business there, i got into breaking cars a couple of years ago with a friend. We also got a large indoor unit and hired a couple of lads but decided that working with used parts was too much of a liability for me. We were doing VW and Audi and i still believe there is a lot of potential in it if done properly.

I have dropped you an email, I buy some car parts at the moment so we may be able to do some business together.

Thank you though, its really great to hear that you like what I am writing about and i appreciate the support. I love writing these little blog posts, i wish i had time to tell you some more stories from me experiences both here and getting here – I have plenty as I am sure you can imagine.